St. Joseph School, St. Mary of the Snow among schools Archdiocese of New York plans to close (update)

KINGSTON, N.Y. -- The Archdiocese of New York announced Tuesday that St. Joseph School in Uptown Kingston and St. Mary of the Snow in Saugerties are among 22 Catholic schools it has decided to close in June, but local officials do not intend to close St. Joseph School.

"The decision to close the at-risk schools follows a painstaking, months-long review involving local decisionmakers in accordance with 'Pathways to Excellence,' the strategic plan for Catholic schools that was published in October 2010 and developed to assure a vibrant future for Catholic education in the Archdiocese of New York," reads a press release issued by the Archdiocese. "This review included all relevant data, including enrollment, financial, academic and local demographics, to ensure the Board's and Committee's decisions would result in financially healthy, sustainable schools."

Paul DeLisio, president of St. Joseph's finance committee, said the decision was nonetheless "detached from the facts of our school."

The enrollment of St. Joseph's has grown from 160 last year to 205 currently, DeLisio said, and school officials are projecting the student body will grow to 250 next school year.

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Fran Davies, a spokesman for New York's Archdiocese, said the consolidation effort is designed to ensure the organization's resources are allocated as efficiently as possible and allow the state's Catholic school system to be modernized.

DeLisio said St. Joseph School leaders will seek a meeting with Timothy McNiff, superintendent of schools for the Archdiocese of New York, to discuss the steps they need to take to make St. Joseph's an independent Catholic school like John A. Coleman Catholic High School in the town of Ulster.

DeLisio said St. Joseph School does not receive financial aid from the Archdiocese, and the school community has the finances, the enrollment, the academics, the vibrance, and the will to continue to exist on its own.

The decision about whether to allow the St. Joseph School to be called a Catholic school would be up to Cardinal Timothy Dolan.

If local officials do not get approval to continue to operate as a Catholic school, albeit an independent one, DeLisio said St. Joseph would then become a regular private school.

DeLisio said parents would not have an immediate, nearby alternative because Kingston Catholic is nearly at capacity in its nine classrooms. He said St. Joseph's current facilities could accommodate up to 520 pupils, and if the convent across the street were also utilized, the school could have a maximum enrollment of 590 students.

Christine Molinelli, principal of St. Mary of the Snow, said she had no comment and deferred to the Archdiocese.

Davies said as of October, the Saugerties school had 89 students enrolled.

Davies said placement counselors will be assigned to each family affected by the Archdiocese's reconfiguration. The counselors will help families connect with other Catholic schools including through tours and open houses, she said, and help figure out transportation options.

When the Archdiocese initially announced in November schools "at risk" to be closed, Regina Coeli in Hyde Park and Sacred Heart in Newburgh were also on the list, but they were not among schools slated for closure in Tuesday's "final decisions" by local boards and reconfiguration committees, although the St. Joseph School in Millbrook was listed among schools to be closed in June.